Computer communication networks are well known in the art. Typically, a computer network includes a number of stations which are connected therebetween. The stations are typically workstations or servers. An example of a network is the Token-Ring Network which is a local area network.
In a Token-Ring Network, there are typically a number of stations connected in sequence therebetween in a ring like form. In such a network there is one station, usually termed the network active monitor, which includes a network clock which synchronizes operations, such as data transmission, from one station to the other throughout the network.
A drawback of communication networks such as the Token-Ring Network is that they have noise, also termed jitter, such as those caused by time aging and manufacturing tolerances of the cables which connect the stations. Jitter leads to loss of synchronization downstream from the active monitor. Moreover, since the stations are connected in sequence, data sent, for example, from the active monitor to a station distant therefrom, is sent via all the stations located therebetween, and therefore, jitter accumulates and intensifies in the network.
Therefore, it is desirable to attenuate jitter in computer networks in order to reduce jitter accumulation and synchronization problems in the network.
Prior art jitter attenuation systems involve the use of filters or Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) systems which limit the frequencies which the downstream station receives to the network clock frequency. Unfortunately, filters and PLLs are expensive and deteriorate in performance quality over time.